New Beginnings
by Fujoshi Laivine
Summary: Zidane comes across an old comrade and becomes a lot friendlier under the changed circumstances. Steiner X Zidane. Post game. Maybe accidental Garnet bashing.


Another new story! This is the first Final Fantasy IX fic I've posted, but I've _written_ a couple others which suck. Anyways, there isn't enough Zidane Steiner out there! This _is going to be_ a romance between them, and I am going to enjoy writing it. Anyways, this is set about a year and a half after the end of the game, but (at least so far) it hardly references the game itself. Anyways, I had this whole chapter almost completely written in my head while I was waiting for sleep to take me last night, and I just improved on it when I got up. Only took an hour or so to write. Oh, and if you want to see Steiner's hair, go to the Final Fantasy Wiki page for Steiner. There's some art there with his hair.

Anyways, I may change the rating later if I'm feeling particularily adventrous.

* * *

Zidane sighed.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Ruby asked from behind the counter of the bar. She worked here part time when she wasn't rehearsing for her plays.

Zidane looked up at her. "It's nothin'. Just tired." He turned and looked around and saw an attractive barmaid nearby, looking at him. He grinned. "Hey, you ever been on an airship?"

The barmaid looked shocked and shook her head.

"Maybe I'll take you sometime." He grinned even wider.

"That you, Zidane?" A rough voice asked from close behind him. He turned and looked at the speaker. A tall man with broad shoulders and a square jaw.

"Who's askin'?" Zidane asked, hand on his dagger in case this man was danger.

The man smirked down at his drink. "Miss Ruby, would you mind getting him one of these?" He asked, holding up his drink.

Ruby smiled at him. "Comin' right up, hun!" She turned and placed the order. Only a couple seconds later, the drink was placed in front of the seat next to the man.

Zidane cautiously sat next to him and looked at the drink. It was translucent, and the bright yellow of flans. He sniffed it curiously.

"Don't worry, you'll like it." The man next to him said.

Zidane took a small sip to find that he really did like it. He was tempted to drink the whole thing right then, but he stopped himself. Questions first. The drink was no doubt alcoholic.

The other man smirked at his drink again. "It's been over a year, hasn't it?"

Zidane hesitated. "Um... I feel like I know you... Or I _should_ know you..."

"You only remember the pretty girly faces, don't you, you insolent little monkey boy." The other man said somewhat angrily.

Zidane gasped. "Rusty?! Is that you, Rusty?"

The man chuckled darkly. "It's Adelbert Steiner, you brat." He muttered.

Zidane looked him up, ignoring the mutterings of an old man. "Wow, your armour really doesn't exaggerate your size, does it?"

"Why you-"

"It a good way!" Zidane cut him off. "I didn't mean you're _fat_! I meant you're _big_! There's a difference"

Steiner took a gulp of his drink before saying, "Two ways to say the same thing. I have gained weight though."

The younger sighed. "_Not_ what I _meant_! I _meant_ that you're... you're broad shouldered, tall, and strong looking!" He blushed, he hadn't meant to say it like that. "The only thing of your armour that made you look bigger was your silly metal cap." His cheeks still burned as he looked down at the drink. _Now's probably the best time to chug it._ So that's what he did.

Zidane couldn't see it, but Steiner smiled a bit. He was shocked to hear such compliments from the young thief, but he appreciated it none the less.

"So... where's your armour? Don't you, like, sleep with it on?" Zidane asked, his words the teeniest but slurred.

Steiner sighed. "Not when I'm off duty."

"Last I knew, you were captain of the Pluto Knights! When is a captain ever off duty? Do you get vacations too?" The monkey boy asked curiously.

The man sighed again, this time sadly. "I regret to say that I left service under the Queen. There were too many bad memories in that castle. And besides," Steiner gave Zidane a sidewards glance, "it's time to let in a new era of knights to serve under the Queen." He now fully turned his head to look at the younger. "I thought you would have known that, since you were always prowling around the castle."

"Nah, I gave up on Dagger. She was too busy to even look at me anymore, doing her Queenly things. I spent the last year in Lindblum with Tantalus. It's nice to finally have Blank back." Zidane hesitated before speaking in a new tone, hardly above a whisper. "Thanks for that, by the way. For helping them get the Supersoft."

"I didn't do anything" The large man said regretfully.

Zidane shook his head. "You did. You also helped Marcus out of Alexandria castle after that. He's really not as tough as he looks." He looked at his empty glass before holding it up and calling out, "Ruby, get me another of these, will ya?"

"Oh, no you don't! Sorry hun, but that's all you get! You're not even nineteen yet!" Ruby put her hands on her hips and looked at Zidane sternly. Steiner chuckled lightly to himself before realizing sadly that Ruby was probably the closest thing Zidane had had to a mother in his whole life.

"Oh, come on!" Zidane whined. "I'll be nineteen in two months!" The end of his tail was wagging. Steiner noted that it looked excited.

Ruby smiled. "Then you can come back in two months to get that second drink." She said sweetly. "I've already seen you drunk, and trust me, this humble little bar here doesn't need that kind of scene. Got it, sugar?"

Zidane sighed and nodded. "Fine"

"So you're eighteen now, huh?" Steiner asked, eyes mesmerized by Zidane's agitatedly wagging tail. Luckily for him, Zidane was staring sullenly at his empty glass, regretting downing it so fast.

"Yeah. How old does that make you, then? You a thousand years old by now?" Zidane chuckled at the glare he received from Steiner.

"I am only thirty five!" The older fumed.

Zidane laughed. "You're almost as old as boss!" He leaned forward, clutching his stomach while he laughed. Steiner waited patiently while Zidane calmed down and wiped his eyes of the tears that had sprung during his laughing fit. "So, what have you been doing since you left knighthood?" He looked up at his old comrade and realized he had never actually seen his hair before. It was dark, wavy, and down to his chin. Not what he would have ever imagined.

Steiner looked up at the ceiling. "I've actually been thinking of travelling again, and visiting all those places we saw before. Maybe I'll become a journalist."

Zidane hid his giggle in an odd sounding cough. When Steiner looked at him, he grinned sheepishly. "Something got stuck in my throat." Steiner eyed him suspiciously, but turned his gaze back to his drink regardless.

After several moments contemplation, Zidane stood up. "When do we leave?"

Steiner glared at him, taking note somewhere in the back of his mind that Zidane was no taller than him, even though he was still sitting on the bar stool and the monkey boy was standing. "_I _am leaving the day after tomorrow. I do not know about you."

"Aww, come on, Rusty! It's so boring to travel on your own! Besides, how're you ever gonna get any extra money? Doing chores for tips?" By now, Zidane had his hands on his hips. "I'm good at what I do, I can help you _and_ keep you company! Besides, I'm _bored_ in this city!"

Steiner rolled his eyes. "I am _not _getting a child such as yourself involved in such dangerous travel again."

Zidane sighed, exasperated. "Come _on_! You _know_ I can handle myself! I beat _you_ up multiple times before we even _left_ Alexandria before, and I've only gotten stronger since then!"

Steiner sighed as he realized the boy was right. "Fine" He relented. "But no stealing my items!"

Zidane grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it, Rusty." He ran to the door. "Hurry up! We gotta get prepared!" He called excitedly before running outside. Steiner was once again mesmerized by his tail, swing side to side as the boy ran from the bar. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, placed the appropriate amount of gil on the bar, and walked out after Zidane.

* * *

Reviews are apreciated, as is _constructive_ criticism. Next chapter, Steiner admires Zidane some more, and gets into depth how he's changed =O Steiner's gonna be a cradle robber! Look forward to it!


End file.
